Joseph hoffman



(No Model.)

J. HOFFMAN. PENCIL OR GRAYON HOLDER.

No. 326,736. Patented Sept. 22, 1885.

NiTnn STATES ,ATENT Farce.

JOSEPH HOFFMAN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO GUSTAVUS A. GOLDSMITH, OF SAME PLACE.

PENCIL OR CRAYON HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 326,736, dated September 22, 1885.

Application filed March 12, 1885. (X0 model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OSEPH HOFFMAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pencil or Lead or Crayon Holders, of which the follow: ing is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of pencils or lead and crayon holders in which clampingjaws or other clamping devices (in combination with a case or sheath) are contracted or closed upon or caused to hold the lead or crayon subjected to their action by the movement longitudinally of the case or sheath rela tive to the jaws or other clamping devices, or vice versa; and my invention, specifically stated, consists in combining with the hereinabove-recited parts feeding mechanism for the lead or crayon, which are, first, a small supplemental pair of jaws adapted and adjusted to grasp the lead or crayon between them and to hold it with sufficient force to prevent it from dropping by the action of gravity, but at the same time to allow it to be driven through them by slight blows on its rear end. These supplemental jaws are capable of movement longitudinally of the pencil or lead or crayon holder; and, seeondly, I use in conjunction with them and the other parts named a small bolt or hammer, which is also capable of movement longitudinally of the pencil, by means of which the lead or crayon may be tapped upon its rear or innermost end, and thus projected beyond the end of the pencil-holder, or, in other words, fed, as desired.

In the drawings like letters indicate like parts in all the figures.

Figure l is a longitudinal central section of apencil-holder embodying myinvention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of parts of the internal lead or crayon containing tube and the clamping-jaws, showing the arrangement of the supplemental jaws and the driving-bolt with the lead or crayon containing tube. Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the jaws and front end of a lead-containing tube, showing an alternative method of adjusting the supplemental jaws thereto.

In the drawings I have shown,as the means of holding the lead or crayon when in use, clampingjaws adapted to be forced together by the retractile action of a spring. I do not, however, limit myself to a combination of the devices composing my feeding device with such specitically-illustrated clamping-jaws,because by slight alteration in the arrangement and adjustment of the parts my feeding devices may be employed in pencils or lead or crayon holders in which devices other than clamping-jaws are used as the means for grasping and holding the lead or crayon. 1

A is the outer sheath or case, forming, principally, the handle of the pencil-holder. It may be made of wood, metal, rubber, paper, or any other suitable material. In the pen oil-holder shown in the drawings it is formed of a tubular hard-rubber body, a, provided with a metal tip, I), which contracts at its forward end where it engages with the clamping jaws which hold the lead or crayon when in use, and is attached to the hard-rubber part in any suitable manner.

B is the lead-containing tube or receiver,

. forme'dtof metal in the present instance, and

it should preferably be made of metal, although I do not limit myself to such material. It carries on its front end clamping-jaws O, which, in the instance illustrated, are made integral with the body of the tube B. These jaws have normally a slight spring away from each other, so that when projected from the end of the pencil they separate, and are so constructed as to nip or bite the lead or crayon placed between them, and in order that they may be closed by the action of the spring they are formed with a taper or inclined part, 0. These parts are so constructed and adjusted to each other that when the jaws are retracted the front end of the sheath (shown at b) will act on the inclined surfaces 0 and close the jaws firmly upon the lead or crayon projecting between them, the end of the jaws being usually outside of the sheath. Encircling the rear end of the tube B is a spiral or other suitable spring, cl, one end of which bears against the shoulder formed by the forward end, e, of a small metal cap, f, fastened on the extreme rear end of the tube B, and the front end of 100 the spring bears against a shoulder, 9, formed on a sleeve or lining, h, attached to the inside of the sheath A,and which projects somewhat beyond the rear end of the sheath A, as seen at i, for the sake of giving that end of the sheath a finished appearance. The cap f and the sleeve h are both preferably made of metal. The cap f moves with the tube B, which carries the jaws C, sliding smoothly within the sleeve h, and at the forward end the metal tip I) should preferably be so contracted at the part marked b that it will properly guide and support the tube B. The stop K, formed upon the tube B, takes a bearing against the shoulder of the sleeve or lining h and limits the rearward action of the spring d. It acts in a slot formed in the front end of the sleeve h, thus also preventing rotation of the tube B relative to the sheath A. Within the jaws G, I place the small supplemental jaws Z Z. They are integral with a ring-like part, m, which is provided with one or, preferably, two laterally extending lugs or ears, 'n, which enter and slide in slots 0, cut in the jaw O, as shown. The slots 0 are longer than the width of lugs or ears n, so that the ring m and the supplemental jaws Z Z, supported by it, are capable of a longitudinal movement independent of the movements by the tube B or the jaws O. The difference in the length of the slots 0 0 and the width of the lugs or ears n n is the amount offeed that may be given without the aid of the driving-bolt or hammer P, as will be hereinafter more fully explained.

P is the driving-bolt or hammer. It is a small piece of metal of such size that it will move easily within the tube B. In order that it may not drop out of the pencil, should there be nolead or crayon in it, I prefer to form upon this bolt a little lug, g, which fits in the slot cut from end to end of the tube B down to the ring m of the supplemental jaws; but instead of employing the lug q the ring m may be made sufficiently thick to present a shoulder at its rear end, against which a small collar on the rear end of the bolt will strike, and thus the bolt be prevented from passing further forward. In this construction the front end of the bolt should be somewhat roundedor tapered, so that it may enter the ring and pass through 'it for the purpose of expelling from the supplemental jaws any used-up lead or crayon, which occasionally will be necessary.

The operation is as follows: By pressing on the cap f the tube B will be pushed forward against the stress of the spring d, thus projecting the jaws O, which, then springing apart, allow the lead or crayon to be introduced between them. As it is pushed in, it comes in contact with the supplemental jaws- I Z and pushes them back until thelugs-or-ears n it come in contact with the rear ends of the slots. 0 0, and then, a slight additional pressure being exerted, the supplemental jaws separate, allowing the lead or'crayon to pass betweenthem. It then passes through the ring m,- en-,

tering the tube B, until it is pressed entirely within the jaws C. The pressure upon the cap f being then removed, the jaws O are retracted and closed, and the lead is retained away from sight and free from fracture within the jaws and the tube B.

When desired for use, the pencil is held with the jawsO downwardly, pressure is again applied to the capf, thejaws O are thus projected, and the lead released, which would drop entirely out of the pencil, as heretofore,

were it not that the supplemental jaws Z Z,

which drop with the lead or crayon, arrest it as soon as the lugs n a come in contact with the front of the slots 0 0. As soon as this takes place the lead is held in the degree of projection or feed determined by the length of the slots 0 0 in excess of the width of the lugs n n, as before stated. This method of feeding would be all that is required were it not that the lead or crayon wears away with use. When this takes place, a slight forward movement of the pencil suddenly arrested, as by striking the hand holding the pencil gently against the other hand, will cause the bolt P to slide rapidly down the tube B and strike the lead or crayon on its rear end, thus. driving it slightly forward, overcoming the holding force of the supplemental jaws Z' Z, or even, if desired, of the main jaws 0. It is better, however, when desiring to give the lead greater projection, as stated, to press upon the cap f at the same time that the hammer or bolt 1? is caused to act, for by so doing the grip of the clamping-jaws O is temporarily released and better action of the hammer secured. If the hammer should drive the lead too far forward, it may be easily brought to the proper adjustment by pressing the point of the lead against any resistingsurface while the jaws (l are expanded. The lead will then be pressed back into the tube B, the supplemental jaws Z being carried back with it until the lugs n strike the rear end of the slot 0. The lead will then slip through the supplemental jaws Z until the desired adjustment is secured.

It is obvious that the spring at may be placed at a number of difierent places in the structure; also, that the lugs determining the movement of the supplemental jaws may work in the slit usually formed between the jaws in pencils furnished withsuch jaws. Such a construction I have shown in Fig. 3,. the slot being enlarged and provided with shoulders at the ends of the enlarged part for the proper reception and detention of the lugs; also, the

ring or may be placed outside of the clampingjaws O, the supplemental jaws l passing through small slots cut in the jaws O to the inside thereof, to properly engage with the lead.

In fact, a great. many deviations from the details, shown may be adopted and still my inventi-on be embodied. I therefore do not.

limit myself to. specific construction and arrangement shown. I am aware that supplemental jaws'have heretofore been used to hold the lead from dropping entirely away from the pencil and to regulate the feed of the lead, and I do not claim the same, broadly. Such supplemental 5 jaws are shown in the United States patent granted to Richard WV. Uhlig, dated October 10, 1882, No. 265,894; but in his patent the supplemental jaws do not permanently hold the lead. On the contrary, ifthe internal tube be moved sufficiently relative to the case or sheath,then the supplemental jaws are opened and the lead is dropped and broken or lost. The proper operation of this Uhlig pencil re quires great nicety in manipulation, which, being practically unattainable by the public generally, results in the dropping and loss of more leads than if the supplemental jaws were not used at all; also, in the United States patent granted to said Uhlig, dated April 24:,1883, No. 276,543, supplemental jaws are used for holding the lead; but in this patent the supplemental jaws are placed so far from the clamping-point of the main lead-holding jaws that it requires a piece of lead of considerable length to be used in the pencil and necessitates throwing away a comparatively large part of the lead.

It will be seen that in my invention the supplemental jaws clamp the lead very near the end of the main clamping-jaws O and Within the inclined surfaces 0 0 thereof. Thus an exceedingly small piece of lead is all that is needful in my pencil.

I claim 1. The combination, in a lead or crayon holder, of the clamping case or sheath, the

expanding jaws longitudinally movable relatively to the case or sheath, and tapered or provided with inclines acted on by the case or sheath to produce the closing of the jaws, a lead-containing tube or receiver placed within the case or sheath, supplemental jaws placed in line with the lead-receiving tube, and adapted to receive and hold the lead or crayon against the action of gravity and capable of limited longitudinal movement when unconfined by the expanding jaws, a bolt or hammer adapted to move freely within the leadcontaining tube, and a spring adapted to antomatically move the case or sheath relatively to the expanding jaws longitudinally, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination, in a lead or crayon holder provided with clamping devices for holding the lead against pressure upon its point,and an internal lead-containing space, of a bolt or hammer placed in line with a leadcontaining tube, said bolt or hammer adapted to move freely in the lead-containing tube longitudinally, whereby the lead may be driven between the jaws which hold it against the action of gravity, and clamping mechanism, which holds the lead against pressure upon its point, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 7th day of March, A. D. 1885.

JOSEPH HOFFMAN.

\Vitnesses:

JOHN H. Um, SHERwooD W. OoNNELL. 

